Searching for merchandise presently unavailable on a computer network

ABSTRACT

A method of searching and purchasing items comprises receiving, via an electronic device having a processor, one or more search queries associated with a user-specified item, and causing a search engine, in communication with the processor, to search one or more databases for the user-specified item using the one or more search queries, thereby generating a search result indicating whether the user-specified item is available or unavailable for purchase. In response to the search result indicating that the user-specified item is unavailable for purchase, the search engine repeatedly searches, the one or more databases at specified time intervals until the search result indicates that the user-specified item is available for purchase. In response to the search result indicating the user-specified item is available for purchase, the method communicates to a user, via the electronic device, that the item is available for purchase.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/910,872,filed Aug. 4, 2004, entitled “IDENTIFICATION OF MERCHANDISE TO BESUBSEQUENTLY IDENTIFIED AND DELIVERED BY A MERCHANT PROVIDER,” which isa divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/625,646, filed Jul.27, 2000, entitled “RECIPIENT SELECTION OF INFORMATION TO BESUBSEQUENTLY DELIVERED,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,568, issued Oct. 19,2004. The entire disclosures of both of the foregoing patentapplications are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure herein relates to the delivery of merchandise from amerchandise provider to a merchandise seeker and more particularly to asystem and method for allowing a merchandise seeker to find merchandisenot presently available for purchase.

BACKGROUND

Currently, when it is desired to watch a TV program, the viewer is atthe mercy of the content providers as to what that viewer watches and atwhat time. This is changing now that digital recorders, such as the TIVOsystem from Philips, can record many hours of TV programs therebyallowing viewers to delay watching broadcasts for a period of time byrecording such broadcasts for later viewing. Such systems also allowusers to select programs to be aired in the future and to record theselected shows. These systems also allow users to select topics and thesystem selects the shows that match these selected topics. Such systemswork well, but suffer from the fact that they also are dependent uponthe preselection of content by the content provider. If a person desiresto view a certain movie, (or to view, for example, a documentary on thelife of George Washington) and if that desired movie (or documentary)was not scheduled for showing within a finite time in the future, theuser is not able to schedule it, except perhaps by broad topic types. Inany event, the user cannot in any manner, cause movies, or programs, tobe delivered which were not scheduled for delivery.

This same problem exists when users are trying to obtain informationfrom the Internet. The user can only gain access to information if thatinformation exists on the Internet at the time that the information issought. However, even if the information existed on the Internet at thattime, obtaining that information, even using the very sophisticatedtools available today, is not trivial. For example, assume that a userdesires to obtain tickets to see a certain play (or concert) or to see acertain performer when and if that play, concert or performer is next intown. Today, the user would access the Internet and look for the name ofthe play or the name of the performer. If there was a scheduledperformance, the user might, depending upon his/her skill (andpatience), find it. But if there was nothing scheduled (or contemplated)then the user would come away (usually after spending considerable timelooking) with nothing.

Thus, there exists a need in the art for a system and method whichallows an information seeking individual to gather information even whenthat information is not currently available and to have that informationdelivered when it becomes available.

There is also a need in the art for a system and method which allows auser to schedule the delivery of desired information at controllabletimes in the future using media mutually agreed upon by the requestingand providing parties.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

These and other objects, features and technical advantages may beachieved by a system and method which allows the user to input tohis/her own local device the information (or an abstract thereof) thathe/she desires to be delivered. This information can be as simple or ascomplex as desired. What is important is that some other party can, fromtime to time, access the requested information and provide properresponses thereto.

The information, by way of example, can be the names of desiredentertainment shows, or subjects, that could be delivered by way ofvideo or live TV. The names, or abstracts, can be, by way of example,past TV shows or past TV subjects; names of biographies or traveldocumentaries, or they can be queries as to the dates that a certainplay or performer will next be in town; or any other desiredinformation. Thus, a person wishing to view on TV a series that airedmonths ago (or the first three programs of that series) will, in oneembodiment, enter the desired requested information into his/her localstorage medium. The storage mechanism could be a local recorder, such asthe above-mentioned digital recorder, (or any other system), or it couldbe the user's browser on the Internet. In the preferred embodiment theinformation is stored on the user's local computer. In an alternateembodiment, the abstracted request is stored on one or more remotedevices. The user would enter “deliver by TV over cable (or satellite,or any other desired medium)” a program or programs pertaining to thelife of “George Washington”. This entry could, of course, be prompted byinteractive prompts. If the user had more specific information on thedesired program, the user could, if he/she desires, enter suchadditional details.

The requested information can be stored locally on a TV recorder orstored on a local computer or on any other device having memorycapability. The storage medium that the user selects need not be themedium to where the information is to be returned. The user may specifythe return medium or the information provider may, by the nature of thecontent that is to be delivered or otherwise, decide how best and whento deliver the information. The return information can actually arriveusing multiple media either in whole or in part. For example, theprovider may send a message (using the Internet to the user's PC orperhaps a wireless connection to the user's handheld device) indicatingthat a certain requested TV program will be available at a certain dateon a particular channel. Then, at the proper time (or at a timenegotiated between the provider and the requester) the desiredinformation is delivered to the user over a medium different from theone used to verify or confirm the transaction, and perhaps evendifferent from the medium over which the initial request was posted.

The requested information is maintained in a location (whether local tothe user or remote) such that it remains available for a period of timeto anyone who is capable of providing the desired information which iscontrolled by the provider. Thus, instead of the user searching amassive data base (the web today) the burden falls on informationproviders to find those folks who need or want the information which iscontrolled by the provider. This system works particularly well forsituations where the desired information pertains to future events, suchas entertainment, or for complex situations where the user only has avague understanding of what he/she desires. In this situation, thecontent owner knows much more about the subject, and, based on theabstract of the information posted, can provide the proper response.

Thus for vacation planning a person might type in the location desiredand the time of year desired and request information on climate, hotelavailability, restaurants, etc. This information then would be stored(either at the user's location) or at a central site, and will beaccessible for a period of time by anyone who believes they have thedesired information. The return information can then be deliveredwithout further action taken by the posting user. There could be aninteractive exchange prior to downloading of the information. Today,this interaction is only possible if the user were to first go to ascientific site to post his/her desired information.

The vacation planner instead of specifying the place could have enteredparameters, such as time of year, climate, desired activities (beach,golfing, shopping, hiking, sailing, etc.,) and those locations desiringto supply information would then provide either the information or anabstract of the information, and the user (either live or via a filterprogram) would accept as much information as is desired.

In the context of entertainment, assume the user requested a TV programon George Washington. The requester could have specified a desired timeframe or could have left it open ended. The user could also havespecified the type of media over which the program was to be received oragain, left it open ended. In any event, assume that a provider had theprogram or a series of programs pertaining to George Washington, andcould deliver the content at a certain time. The provider would thennotify the user that a two hour program on George Washington would beavailable, for example, on channel 87 at 2:00 p.m. Wed., three monthshence. The user could accept this time and arrange for it to be recordedif he/she were not going to be available to watch it live. Thisrecording could be by traditional VCR or by digital recording underprocessor control. In one embodiment, the recorder would be set andcontrolled by the provider.

Assuming that the user wanted the information sooner, one option wouldbe to accept the information as a streamed video directly into theuser's computer for recording on a CD or other portable recording deviceat a mutually agreeable time. The content could, of course, be deliveredin any manner agreed between the sender and the user.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of inventions disclosed herein in order that the detaileddescription that follows may be better understood. Additional featuresand advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which formthe subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodimentdisclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designingother structures for carrying out the same purposes of the presentinvention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art thatsuch equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel featureswhich are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to itsorganization and method of operation, together with further objects andadvantages will be better understood from the following description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to beexpressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided forthe purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended asa definition of the limits of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the inventions described herein,reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention using TV programs and adigital recording device at the user's location;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an information provider location;

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention using a processor, such as aPC, at the user's location;

FIG. 4 shows an intermediary web site adapted to accepting user'srequests;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of one embodiment of the invention where the userstores abstracts of his/her desired information;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of one embodiment of the invention where aninformation provider searches for flags indicating that a person isseeking information and checks for matches between the informationavailable and the information desired;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of one embodiment of the invention where acentral control in a TV program control system receives information fromvarious users and provides return programming in accordance with postedrequests from users; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of one embodiment of the invention where thecentral control sends requested information to a user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown system 10, which has user inputdevice 11 which could, for example, be a remote control into the TV setor digital recorder or a computer or any other input device, such as awireless phone. The input could be by voice command, using, for example,a voice recognition system. In the TV environment, the input could be todigital recorder 12, such as, for example, the aforementioned TIVOrecorder provided by Philips. Such a device would typically haveprocessor 1201 and memory 1202 and would operate to receive inputsignals from a variety of sources such as, for example inputs 1203. Thisdata can be in analog or digital form and would be stored in a memory.In the illustrative embodiment, analog signals are digitized by recorder12 and stored in memory 1202. Information stored in memory 1202 is madeavailable to display 13 on command from the user, or, alternatively,under control of the information provider.

Recorder 12 is designed to interact with a remote location 14 either byphone connection, satellite or by any other mechanism, whether wirelessor wireline, to exchange information pertaining to the lineup on thevarious channels. In this manner the user, using input device 11, maydetermine what is available today, tomorrow or sometime in the future.This then allows the user to select, (and set for recording if desired)certain programs which will become available over input 1203 at futuretimes. This information is updated periodically via a connection madebetween recorder 12 and remote location 14, thereby assuring recorder 12that it has the latest program information.

User 11 may specify to recorder 12, usually in the form of aninteractive session between user device 11 and recorder 12, that theuser desires to watch certain programs by name or type, which programswill occur in the future. Recorder 12 then monitors the informationreceived from remote location 14 and picks out of the titles or otherinformation made available the information desired to be recorded. Thus,for example, user 11 may decide that he or she wants to see only thoseprograms featuring a certain artist. If that information is availablefrom remote location 14, then recorder 12 will monitor the informationand, whenever an input program arrives having that artist, the recorderwill proceed to record the program.

The problem at this point, however, is that if recorder 12 has noinformation pertaining to future programs, movies, artists, etc., thenthe interactive session between user 11 and recorder 12 will not achievethe desired result, i.e., the scheduling of a desired program.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 user 11 could input to recorder 12 thedesired movie, series, concept, artist or any other desired information.This information then is provided from recorder 12 to remote location14, for example, over the periodic connection between the two. Remotelocation 14 then stores the information pertaining to user 11. Location14 then accesses data base 15, which could be local to remote location14 or remote therefrom. This access can either be direct, via connection1204, or it could be through Internet 100 via connections 1205, 1206.

In one embodiment, location 14 simply records the information and makesit available for remote providers to access the desired user informationvia Internet 100 in a manner to be discussed. Once the information isavailable, one or more potential providers could see that one or moreusers wish to see a program, for example, a program about GeorgeWashington. Accordingly, one or more of these potential providers couldthen either make the program available at a time in the future so thatmany viewers could then watch that program or the remote provider couldmake the program available only to user 11 over a specific channel at aspecific time.

In either event, the remote provider would instruct recorder 12 at userlocation 10 to record that information for that user. In addition, theremote provider, assuming enough information was on file pertaining touser 11, could contact user 11 over the Internet via a separate PC, notshown in FIG. 1, or by e-mail, wireless messaging, telephone call,message left on recorder 12, or the like. The provider would interactwith user 11 to instruct user 11 as to when the program will beavailable, or to interact with user 11 to refine the request and to,perhaps, schedule alternate modes and/or media for delivery. It could,for example, be most appropriate to provide the information via analternate network directly from program data base 15 to the user's PC,for recording on a medium separate from recorder 12. In either event,the user will eventually see or have available to him/her the programthat that user desires when that information becomes available.

As discussed, the information may be information about a past TV series,past historical events, news reports, sports, or the requestedinformation might be about a planned future event. This could occur ifuser 11, for example, were to input that he/she desires all informationpertaining to natural disasters in a certain location or desiresinformation pertaining to nuclear testing activities or any otheractivity that he/she desires to monitor if and when that informationbecomes available. Under such a condition various providers of contentanywhere in the world may access remote location 14 via Internet 100, orotherwise, to determine which users would like to have informationpertaining to subject matter which it has available. In this mannerspecific information can be made available to users, such as user 11,even though that information is not available at the time user 11 asksfor it, but subsequently becomes available, or subsequently isconstructed based upon one or more users requesting such information.

Note that while the information request was transferred from the user'slocation to a remote location, the system could be constructed so thatthe request is maintained local to the user and potential providerswould then access the user's location from time to time to monitor suchrequests. Certainly, user 11 could put time restraints on the requestand have the request disappear or become modified after a certain periodof time.

Turning now to FIG. 2, system 20 shows information provider 21 having asearch engine 22 which searches Internet 100 (or which searchesdirectly) to other locations for requests that include within theminformation that provider 21 has an ability to deliver. Informationprovider 21 might search for requests that it does not have the abilityto deliver at this time but could go out and purchase, obtain or createdepending upon the perceived market for that information as determinedby its continuing search for requests. This search could be, forexample, into PC's or other devices located at user's premises whichhave on them permission for access. In some situations, search engine 22might only be able to search PC's which are then active on the Internet.Also, information provider 21 could be prevented from downloading anyinformation to a user until an interactive session is held with thatuser such that both parties agree that what is to be provided matcheswhat is desired to be received. Also, the parties can determine what themedia will be for distribution, what the payment will be, if any, andwhat the various responsibilities and liabilities of the parties arewith respect to the information. The information could be controlled bycodes or flags and different permission levels could be established fordifferent types of information or for different types of providers. Notethat program database 15, FIG. 1, could, if desired, include system 20.

FIG. 3 shows system 30 which includes an alternative method of userinput, such as, for example, PC 31 which allows the user to store theinformation requests in memory 32, which typically would be internal toPC 31, but which could be external thereto if desired. These requests,as discussed above, could be maintained local or could be sent out overInternet 100, or otherwise, to a remote site. For example, the user atPC 31 might desire tickets to a circus coming to town at some time inthe future unknown to the user. The user simply records the abstractedinformation “circus” in memory 32 which then becomes accessible viaInternet 100. Anyone having information pertaining to a circus once acircus is scheduled for the locality of PC 31 (assuming that user 31desires the locale to be local), will scan the system looking for aseeker who has posted a desire for information pertaining to a circus.

Note that PC 21 could be any type of processor and/or memory, includinga telephone, pager, portable computer, personal assistants and the like.

Thus, information provider 21, (FIG. 2) which could be the circusitself, or an intermediate web site acting on behalf of the circus,could then, by use of search engine 22, realize that the user at PC 31desires information pertaining to the circus and requires 4 tickets tothat circus. Once this information becomes available, i.e., once thecircus is scheduled for the location (city) in which PC 31 is located, amessage is sent to PC 31, or to a particular alternate location, sayingin effect: “The circus will be in Dallas, Tex. August 15th through the28th. Do you still desire 4 tickets?” If the posting user answers “yes,”then via Internet 100, or otherwise, information provider 21 may arrangewith user 31 for the delivery of and payment for the tickets. Theprovider may contact one of a number of ticket sources to provide thetickets, which ticket could be printed on printer 33 at the user'slocation, or the provider could issue the tickets directly. Note that atthe time the request was made by PC 31, the circus had not beenscheduled for Dallas and therefore, under known systems, the user of PC31 would not have been able to post a general request for informationpertaining to the circus.

Under the system of this invention, the user at PC 31 could put into hisor her PC all of the activities that the user would like to do withinthe next six months, one year, or whatever, including plays, sportingevents, TV programs, movies, music concerts, artists, books or any othertype of activity, and the user will be contacted (if desired) at theappropriate time when the information on each activity is madeavailable. The user could input his/her sought information from a pager,a wireless phone or a hand held processor and these requests would bestored and made available as discussed above.

FIG. 4 shows an intermediary web site 41 which acts to collectinformation from many users and provides a central place for informationproviders, such as information provider system 20 (FIG. 2) to search. Insuch a situation, search engine 22 could search the entire Internetlooking for any user having a flag indicating that it has a desiredrequest, or it could instead search the intermediary web sites, or itcould do both if desired. These web sites would contain in storage 401requests from various users. Intermediary web site 41 could then providevarious services for the end user, such as the coordination of thetickets, flights for vacation, scheduling and other such activities,such as payment and filtering.

Intermediary web site 41 could record and receive information directlyfrom a user such that the user would log onto the web site and answer aseries of questions, thereby recording the information that it seeks.Alternatively, web site 41 could periodically go out and upload (usingsearch engine 22 or otherwise) from various user sites information thatthe users are seeking to receive. In either event, the centralizedserver, or servers, could themselves wait so that they would be accessedby information providers on an inquiry basis much like the informationproviders would do if they were searching for individuals who had flagsset for them to review. However, alternatively, the central serverscould actively go out on a periodic basis scanning the Internet forinformation to satisfy requests that they have received.

Once the end user posts the information, either locally or on theserver, it is available continuously for either a period of timedictated by the user or dictated by common sense based upon theinformation requested. The request would remain available until suchtime as the information is provided, the program distributed, the timefor the circus has come and gone, or other actions taken. This system,in operation, acts as a push system so that information is pushed downto the end user but only in response to flags or codes set by the enduser.

For example, a convention could be established that information in adata base that has a certain ending, such as FLG (for flag), is alwaysavailable for review by any legitimate party. Of course, it could beestablished that only certain parties could look at certain flags suchthat the message itself could give permission for certain types ofproviders to respond to different types of messages. Thus, the FLGmessage could be a message that is open to anyone, whereas a FLG1message is open to only certain segments of information providers whereFLG2 is open to other segments of providers, etc. Therefore, a hierarchycould be established that would allow an end user to determine who hasaccess to the requests and how and by whom those requests are to behonored.

Today typically such requests are made in bulk such that a user or pagercould request that all baseball scores (or weather, or stock quotes) bedownloaded periodically to the end user. In typical operation, suchsystems are subscription services where the person subscribes to aservice that provides information and the information is gathered by anintermediary the intermediary establishes what information is to beprovided and the end user simply subscribes. One such service is shownat AVANTGO.COM and allows subscribers to obtain stock quotes and otherinformation, upon logging onto the site. The difference in the inventivesystem is that the user does not subscribe to preestablished data but isfree to request any information, even information that is not availableat the time of the request, and that information could come from anyprovider who has the required data and who wishes to deliver the dataeither free or for a charge at a particular time under a particularmedium.

FIGS. 5-8 show simple flow charts which can be rearranged to run on oneor more processors. These processors could be central to everyone, orcould be at a provider location, FIG. 2, or at a destination location,FIGS. 1 and 3, or at an intermediary web site, FIG. 4. These processorscould be general purpose computers or could be specialty devices, asdesired by a system designer as is well known in the art.

FIG. 5 shows box 501 which is an interactive request routine whichallows a user either using a PC, or a TV with remote control, or a TVwith a keyboard, or any type of input device, including voicerecognition, to enter requests for information. These requests can be asbroad or as specific as desired. For example, a user wishing to see adocumentary on George Washington may simply just say “George Washington”or “documentary on George Washington”, or if the user knew that a serieshad been aired sometime in the past, the user could identify the series,or could simply say a “two hour documentation of George Washington”, orany additional information the user desires to add. The user, forexample, could request information pertaining to future events, such asinformation about fires or public disasters, when they occur, or couldrequest information on any sporting or entertainment event. Note thatthe user could be more specific and request scores, or statistics, onthe Texas Rangers, or could request that all Stanley Cup Hockey games bereceived on his/her digital recorder and all final scores delivered tohis/her pager. This request could be limited to local events, in whichcase the system might require the user to input the locality, or thesystem, as will be discussed, might calculate the locality based oninformation it has or can obtain about the user. Under control of box502 the user could, for example, enter information, as discussed in FIG.1 or in FIG. 3, pertaining to TV shows, software, music, movies, plays,concerts, artists, etc.

Box 502 stores the request and could abstract certain words as key wordsand also would add, if desired, flags and permission levels as to whocan respond and under what conditions. For example, a flag could be thatonly responses from one of the major TV channels would be accepted oranother flag could be that only a particular channel is acceptable fordelivery. Another flag could indicate that anyone with information couldrespond. Some flags could identify whether the user wanted theinformation to come via video on the public channels or privately overthe Internet or via a wireline or wireless communication through a handheld personal communicator. Note that any system can be used to grantpermissions to various would be providers, including dedicating aportion of the abstracted information for such housekeeping chores.

In box 503 the local system optionally determines if it is connected toa remote location. This could be connected immediately or connectablefor a period of time, such as periodically, with a phone call orconnected whenever the user enters the Internet for other purposes. Ifthere is not a connection, then box 504 does nothing.

Box 505 detects a connection to the Internet or to another remote siteor detects that an information provider wishes to check for storedrequests. This connection can be either accessed under control of theuser by logging on, for example, to the Internet or accessed to a remotesite by a phone call (wireline or wireless) being placed by the unit orsimply a permanent connection which is available for access by anyonelooking for request flags. Box 505 could be set to access the Internet(or some other location) periodically.

Box 506 makes a determination as to whether a flag is set in the user'sdata. If there is no flag set, then no data will be read, box 507.

If a flag has been set, however, then box 508 (if this feature isactive) begins the permission level checking to determine if thepermission level of the potential information provider matches thepermission level assigned to the stored requests. If there is a match inlevels, box 509 detects that match and box 511 determines whether all ofthe matched data is to be transferred to a remote site or is to remainstored locally. If the information is to be transferred, box 512 attendsto the transfer and box 513 ends the transmission. However, if theinformation was not to be transferred, then box 514 allows the remotesite, again once permission has been granted, to obtain the storedrequests which match the permissions.

Box 515, which typically would be activated at the remote site, butwhich could in actuality be programmed to occur locally, determineswhether there is information to return to the user. If there is suchinformation, then if desired an interactive session can be controlledunder box 517. The user can be on line to answer questions live. Moretypically, the user would have a local program to screen permissionlevels which would interact automatically with the remote site todetermine when the program information will be delivered, under whatmedia it would be delivered, and would negotiate any other requiredparameters, such as cost, liabilities, rights of the end-user and such.If it is determined during the interactive session that a download ofdata will occur, box 519 controls that download such that both partiesare in agreement as to what, when, how and where that transmission willoccur. At box 520 the session is ended.

Note that if desired, a filter, or set of filters, could be used, as inbox 518, to change the timing of delivery, or to change the locality forthe information. These filters could be set by the user, could come fromthe physical location of the user (either when the request is entered orafter the requested information is delivered) or would be derived fromthe context of the requested information.

For example, assume that a user wishes to stay at a particular hotelchain when traveling. The user could enter the hotel chain into a handheld device. As the user moves around the world, the user's displaywould continually change to reflect the address and phone number of thelocal hotel in that chain. In this same manner, the delivery of TVprogramming would be adjusted to match the time zone of the locationwhere the program is being delivered, regardless of where the requestcame from. Therefore, a user traveling in one city could request that aparticular program be recorded at a particular time on his/her home TVin another city, or the user could view the program guide, includingproper times, for one city while traveling in another city in adifferent time zone.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the system and method of operation at theinformation provider site where boxes 601, 602 603 hunt for flagsrequesting the type of information that the provider has available. Thishunt can be made periodically on the Internet to all users of theInternet or to specific sites which would be acting as intermediaries.

When a flag has been found, box 604 provides the permission level of theinformation provider that is required and checks box 605 to determine ifa match exists. If a match exists, then the system either goes tointeractive session, box 517, as discussed previously with respect toFIG. 5, or goes directly to box 518, or to box 519, depending on theoperation of the system. If there is no match, and when matches havebeen handled, the system continues the hunt for flags.

Box 601 can be bypassed in situations where external information is madeavailable telling the system that there is a flag set. For example, inthe TV system described above, the user would have its informationuploaded, perhaps once every 24 hours, by a telephone call from the userto a remote location. When the remote location, such as location 14,FIG. 1, determines that a user desires a certain program or otherinformation, the remote site then activates the various informationproviders, via box 606, thereby launching the program to see if and wheninformation is available.

FIG. 7 shows a typical scenario where a digital recorder system such asshown in FIG. 1 is used between the user and the central system. Box 701at the central system receives a call from each remote recorder on aperiodic basis. Box 702 checks to see if data has been received from theuser. If not, then the system via box 703 proceeds with its regulardownload of program data. If there are requests received from the user,then the system uploads and stores the user request via box 704. Asdiscussed previously, box 705 passes the user request to otherinformation sources (such as to box 606, FIG. 6), if necessary, orsimply stores the information for future comparison to programs thatwill become available at some time in the future.

Note also that while in the TV system usually it would be specificprograms that are requested, the user might request different types ofdata. For example, the user could ask for a program listing for nextmonth, or could request a list of music which is available, or a list offuture music. Also, the information requested by the user via the TVsystem need not be limited to entertainment but could be generalinformation requests that could be returned via a PC or via the TVscreen.

In FIG. 8 the central TV system, such as shown in FIG. 1, receivesupdated information content, such as movies, programs, otherinformation, as well as channel information, from various contentproviders. The system then checks its data base to see if any user iswaiting for this information. This is accomplished via box 802. If nouser is waiting for the information, then the system proceeds with itsregular downloaded schedule with respect to the users via box 803.

If it is determined that there is a data request from any particularuser or set of users that pertains to the new information, then thesystem via box 804 determines if there is time to wait until the nextscheduled user update before providing the information to the user. Thiswould typically be the situation since the system typically storesseveral weeks of information and that information would have beenavailable had the user selected a movie or program that was known to beavailable. However, some situations are such that the requestedinformation could be inserted because of user demand and thus the systemwould have to initiate a message and update the user immediately and setthe user's recorder, if necessary, via box 807. This message could be atelephone call, an e-mail message, or simply setting the user's recorderand would not wait until the scheduled call.

One example of this type of immediate update would be if the user hadselected sports programs, such as, for example, the Stanley Cup serieswhere each game would be allocated a three hour time interval. The usercould also have set a flag saying that he/she wanted the recording timeextended if a particular game took longer than three hours. If thesystem determined that the game is going to last longer than threehours, the system could initiate a message to delay ending the recordtime for that user until a separate signal is sent indicating that thegame is over. Under this scenario, if a network changes its schedule atthe last minute or adds information, that information could be madeavailable to specific users depending upon the flags that have been setby each user.

Thus, if a user has scheduled a particular movie for 6 p.m. on Sundayand the football game which preceded the movie was not over until 6:15,the user's system could be notified and the recorder changed to reflectthe correct recording time. In a situation where there is time to waituntil the next scheduled update, box 806 sets the user's local recorderto record information as per the stored request if that is the desiredresult, and in box 807 notifies the user via one or more methods andsets the user's recorder again if necessary.

While the invention has been discussed in terms of a situation where auser simply “flags” desired information for pick up by an informationprovider, in actual use a person desiring information, such as from theInternet or from an entertainment guide or from any other source, couldfirst contact that source, or set of sources. If the requesting userfailed in his/her attempt to obtain information, or to schedule aprogram or to obtain tickets (or anything else desired) then thatrequesting user could, if desired, leave a “flag” with the desiredinformation. This would allow providers to find the “flag” and deliverthe desired information at a later time.

Note also that while a TV system and an Internet system have been shownfor illustrative purposes, any other type of information retrievalsystem could be used. Thus, a wireless network or a pager network oreven a private network could employ the concepts disclosed. For example,an insurance company network, a referral network or even a pharmacynetwork could be arranged to allow customers (doctors, patients, thirdparties, etc.) to post diagnosis, Rx questions, medical questions,referral issues and these would be answered when the information becameavailable.

One example might be that a user of a particular medicine could postthat information and request updates on side effects of the drug. Anyprovider, anywhere in the world, could, from time to time, provide suchinformation. People could seek information on a particular treatment oron a particular doctor or hospital or business and, as that informationbecame available, would receive replies from anyone having suchinformation. As discussed above, the requesting party could set flagpermission levels which could control who (and under what circumstances)someone could “see” the request and/or provide responses thereto.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, thescope of the present application is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositionof matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. Asone of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from thedisclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the present invention.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps.

1. A system for searching and purchasing items, the system comprising:an electronic device in communication with a search engine, the searchengine configured to receive one or more search queries associated witha user-specified item and to search one or more databases for theuser-specified item; a processor in communication with the searchengine, the processor configured to: instruct the search engine tosearch the one or more databases for the user-specified item; determinewhether a search result generated by the search engine indicates thatthe user-specified item is available or unavailable for purchase; and inresponse to the search result indicating that the user-specified item isunavailable for purchase, instruct the search engine to continuesearching the one or more databases at specified time intervals untilthe search result indicates that the user-specified item is availablefor purchase; and a delivery unit in communication with the processor,the processor further configured to communicate the search result to thedelivery unit in response to the search result indicating that theuser-specified item is available for purchase, wherein the delivery unitis configured to communicate to a user that the user-specified item isavailable for purchase.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronicdevice further comprises a memory unit configured to store the one ormore search queries associated with the user-specified item, and whereinthe search engine is configured to access the one or more search queriesstored in the memory unit.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein theelectronic device further comprises a display unit in communication withthe memory unit, the display unit configured to display the one or moresearch queries to the user.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the memoryunit is configured to be accessible by a third-party provider to provideaccess to the third-party provider to the one or more search queries. 5.The system of claim 4, wherein the delivery unit is further configuredto transmit a message from the third-party provider to the userregarding the user-specified item.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein thememory unit is further configured to include a security level forcontrolling access to the one or more search queries by the third-partyprovider.
 7. The system of claim 2, wherein the memory unit is furtherconfigured to store and associate a flag with at least one of the one ormore search queries, wherein the flag identifies at least onethird-party provider from which the user would purchase theuser-specified item.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: determine whether the search result generated bythe search engine indicates that the user-specified item is available orunavailable for purchase from the at least one third-party provideridentified by the flag; and in response to the search result indicatingthat the user-specified item is unavailable for purchase from the atleast one third-party provider, instruct the search engine to continuesearching the one or more databases at specified time intervals untilthe search result indicates that the user-specified item is availablefor purchase from the at least one third-party provider.
 9. The systemof claim 2, wherein the memory unit is further configured to store andassociate a flag with at least one of the one or more search queries,wherein the flag identifies a delivery method for the user-specifieditem.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user-specified itemincludes one of goods, services, event tickets, vacation information,travel information, and entertainment programs.
 11. A method ofsearching and purchasing items, the method comprising: receiving, via anelectronic device having a processor, one or more search queriesassociated with a user-specified item; causing a search engine, incommunication with the processor, to search one or more databases forthe user-specified item using the one or more search queries, therebygenerating a search result indicating whether the user-specified item isavailable or unavailable for purchase; in response to the search resultindicating that the user-specified item is unavailable for purchase,repeatedly searching, via the search engine, the one or more databasesat specified time intervals until the search result indicates that theuser-specified item is available for purchase; and in response to thesearch result indicating the user-specified item is available forpurchase, communicating to a user, via the electronic device, that theitem is available for purchase.
 12. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: storing the one or more search queries in a memory unit, andwherein the receiving step further comprises accessing, via theprocessor, the memory unit for at least one of the one or more searchqueries.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: displaying tothe user, via the electronic device, the one or more search queriesstored in the memory unit.
 14. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: receiving a communication, via the electronic device, from athird-party provider regarding the user-specified item.
 15. The methodof claim 12, further comprising: storing a flag in the memory unit,wherein the flag identifies at least one third-party provider from whichthe user would purchase the user-specified item; and associating theflag with at least one of the one or more search queries in the memoryunit.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining, viathe processor, whether the search result generated by the search engineindicates that the user-specified item is available or unavailable forpurchase from the at least one third-party provider identified by theflag; and in response to the search result indicating that theuser-specified item is unavailable for purchase from the at least onethird-party provider, repeatedly searching, via the search engine, theone or more databases at specified time intervals until the searchresult indicates that the user-specified item is available for purchasefrom the at least one third-party provider.
 17. The method of claim 12,further comprising: storing a flag in the memory unit, wherein the flagidentifies a delivery method for the user-specified item; andassociating the flag with at least one of the one or more search queriesin the memory unit.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein theuser-specified item includes one of goods, services, event tickets,vacation information, travel information, and entertainment programs.